Sunday, April 3, 2016

Bisexuality, Poverty & Mental Health: A Mixed Methods Analysis

Poverty is also associated with
experiences of discrimination among bisexuals.

Multiple pathways may link
bisexuality, poverty, and mental health.

Lack of affordable culturally
competent services may sustain the disparities.

Bisexuality is consistently
associated with poor mental health outcomes. In population-based data, this is
partially explained by income differences between bisexual people and lesbian,
gay, and/or heterosexual individuals. However, the interrelationships between
bisexuality, poverty, and mental health are poorly understood.

In this paper,
we examine the relationships between these variables using a mixed methods
study of 302 adult bisexuals from Ontario, Canada. Participants were recruited
using respondent-driven sampling to complete an internet-based survey including
measures of psychological distress and minority stress. A subset of
participants completed a semi-structured qualitative interview to contextualize
their mental health experiences.

Using information regarding household income,
number of individuals supported by the income and geographic location,
participants were categorized as living below or above the Canadian Low Income
Cut Off (LICO). Accounting for the networked nature of the sample, participants
living below the LICO had significantly higher mean scores for depression and
posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and reported significantly more
perceived discrimination compared to individuals living above the LICO.

Grounded theory analysis of the qualitative interviews suggested four pathways
through which bisexuality and poverty may intersect to impact mental health:
through early life experiences linked to bisexuality or poverty that impacted
future financial stability; through effects of bisexual identity on employment
and earning potential; through the impact of class and sexual orientation discrimination
on access to communities of support; and through lack of access to mental
health services that could provide culturally competent care.

These mixed
methods data help us understand the income disparities associated with bisexual
identity in population-based data, and suggest points of intervention to
address their impact on bisexual mental health.